December Nights
by Stumble Till You Crawl
Summary: Expect the unexpected at Hogwarts this year...
1. Prologue

"Well if it isn't the Dream Team... four eyes, buck teeth and the weasle."   
  
It was September the first, and Draco Malfoy stood in front of the three Gryffindors, sneering.   
His white-blonde hair shone brightly underneath the morning sunshine, contrasting with his cold  
grey eyes. Beneath his stiff black robes, he wore his school uniform, which always looked much   
nicer than everyone else's. His feet wore a brand new pair of black leather dress shoes, which   
looked like they had just been polished that very morning. He caught sight of Ron gazing at his  
new shoes, and smirked.  
  
"What's the matter, Weasley? Too poor to afford nice shoes?" Ron's face turned a brilliant   
crimson color, and his smirk widened. He didn't know exactly why he enjoyed toturing the.. what   
did his Father call them?... less fortunate, but it made him feel proud inside. At that moment,  
the whistle blew to board the Hogwarts Express.  
  
"See you mudbloods on the train..." he trailed. Harry rolled his eyes at Draco and Draco   
chuckled to himself. He strode off, and hopped onto the train, strolling down the aisle to find   
a compartment. He glanced into a compartment which was empty, and waved over Crabbe and Goyle,   
his two friends.   
  
"Come on, let's go in here, it's empty," he said to them. Crabbe and Goyle exchanged   
glances.  
  
"Er.. no it's not," Goyle replied. Draco raised his eyebrows and turned around. In the farthest  
corner of the compartment, curled up in a little ball, was an angel. Well, that's what he   
thought it was at first. It was a girl, about his age. She had brown hair which fell past her   
waist, flawless pale skin and her cheeks were a rosy red that matched her crimson lips. She wore   
a sort of Muggle outfit and was sleeping peacefully.   
  
"Malfoy?" Crabbe was shaking him, and he realized he had been staring. He closed his eyes and   
opened them again.  
  
"What?" he answered without taking his eyes off the girl. He suddenly became aware of the  
shaking under his feet. The train was moving.   
  
"Where do you want to go?" Crabbe asked him. The truth was, he didn't want to go anywhere. He  
tried to make like he was thinking, but before he could come up with an idea as to why they   
should stay in this compartment, Harry appeared at the door.  
  
"Have you seen --- oh, it's you," he said as he spotted Draco. Draco turned around and grinned.  
  
"What do you want, Potter?"  
  
"I wanted to know if you've seen a girl... brown hair, new girl..." he trailed off. Draco's eyes  
opened wider. He pointed to the curled up girl.  
  
"You mean her?" he asked. Please don't let it be her that he's looking for, he thought. Harry   
nodded feverently.   
  
"Yeah, that's her!" He walked over to the girl and shook her awake. When she came to, she   
blinked a few times, then sat up straight. She looked at her surroundings, and then spotted  
Harry.  
  
"Oh, hi Harry," she said sleepily. Draco could see that she had piercing blue eyes, framed by   
dark and long eyelashes.   
  
"Hi Celestia," he replied. "I've been looking all over for you!" She grinned sheepishly, and   
Draco felt his heart drop. She had a beautiful smile, it lit up the whole compartment.   
  
"Sorry, Harry. I just found an empty compartment and I... well, I fell asleep. I'm sorry."  
  
"It's ok," he replied. "Come on, I have a compartment down the other end of the train, you can  
come sit with us there." He helped her to her feet, and was just about to leave, when Draco  
called him over.  
  
"Potter, come here for a second," he said, motioning for him to come over. Harry looked over at  
Celestia.   
  
"Wait outside the door for me, ok?" She nodded and walked out. Harry turned back to Draco. "What  
is it, Malfoy?" Draco stared at him for a second.  
  
  
"Why--when--how do you know her?" he finally stumbled out. Harry looked rather surprised at this  
question.  
  
"She's my cousin," he replied. Draco gave him an exasperated look.  
  
"Very funny, we all know you've got no wizarding family. Now who is she?"   
  
"I'm serious, she's my cousin. She attended Beauxbatons up until this year."  
  
Draco's mouth dropped open in horror.  
  
"She's -- she's -- she's RELATED to you?" he said in awe. Harry was getting annoyed.  
  
"YES, now if you'll excuse me--"  
  
"Wait a second, Potter. THAT is YOUR cousin. But -- she's -- she's beautiful!" Harry laughed and  
waved Draco's comment away.   
  
"Listen I've got to go," he replied, turning away. Draco fumbled with his thumbs.  
  
"Listen, Potter, one more thing?" Harry stopped in the doorway again.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Don't tell her anything bad about me... please?" Harry laughing loudly this time, and turned to  
face Draco.  
  
"As if there's anything GOOD to tell her?"  
  
"I'M SERIOUS!" Draco roared.  
  
"So am I!" Harry exclaimed. And he turned and walked out. Draco faced Crabbe and Goyle, who were  
giving him searching looks.   
  
"What are you two looking at?" he snapped at them.   
  
"What going on with you? Socializing with Potter, falling in love with a girl?" Goyle replied.   
Draco shook his head.  
  
"That was NOT socializing and I am NOT in love." At those last words, his heart skipped a beat,   
and his mind shot back to her silky skin and smooth hair...her cherry lips and tinted cheeks. He  
shook away the overpowering feeling inside him, and sat down for a long ride. 


	2. Chapter 1

"Well if it isn't the Dream Team... four eyes, buck teeth and the weasle."   
  
It was September the first, and Draco Malfoy stood in front of the three Gryffindors, sneering.   
His white-blonde hair shone brightly underneath the morning sunshine, contrasting with his cold  
grey eyes. Beneath his stiff black robes, he wore his school uniform, which always looked much   
nicer than everyone else's. His feet wore a brand new pair of black leather dress shoes, which   
looked like they had just been polished that very morning. He caught sight of Ron gazing at his  
new shoes, and smirked.  
  
"What's the matter, Weasley? Too poor to afford nice shoes?" Ron's face turned a brilliant   
crimson color, and his smirk widened. He didn't know exactly why he enjoyed toturing the.. what   
did his Father call them?... less fortunate, but it made him feel proud inside. At that moment,  
the whistle blew to board the Hogwarts Express.  
  
"See you mudbloods on the train..." he trailed. Harry rolled his eyes at Draco and Draco   
chuckled to himself. He strode off, and hopped onto the train, strolling down the aisle to find   
a compartment. He glanced into a compartment which was empty, and waved over Crabbe and Goyle,   
his two friends.   
  
"Come on, let's go in here, it's empty," he said to them. Crabbe and Goyle gave exchanged   
glances.  
  
"Er.. no it's not," Goyle replied. Draco raised his eyebrows and turned around. In the farthest  
corner of the compartment, curled up in a little ball, was an angel. Well, that's what he   
thought it was at first. It was a girl, about his age. She had brown hair which fell past her   
waist, flawless pale skin and her cheeks were a rosy red that matched her crimson lips. She wore   
a sort of Muggle outfit and was sleeping peacefully.   
  
"Malfoy?" Crabbe was shaking him, and he realised he had been staring. He closed his eyes and   
opened them again.  
  
"What?" he answered without taking his eyes off the girl. He suddenly became aware of the  
shaking under his feet. The train was moving.   
  
"Where do you want to go?" Crabbe asked him. The truth was, he didn't want to go anywhere. He  
tried to make like he was thinking, but before he could come up with an idea as to why they   
should stay in this compartment, Harry appeared at the door.  
  
"Have you seen --- oh, it's you," he said as he spotted Draco. Draco turned around and grinned.  
  
"What do you want, Potter?"  
  
"I wanted to know if you've seen a girl... brown hair, new girl..." he trailed off. Draco's eyes  
opened wider. He pointed to the curled up girl.  
  
"You mean her?" he asked. Please don't let it be her that he's looking for, he thought. Harry   
nodded feverently.   
  
"Yeah, that's her!" He walked over to the girl and shoke her awake. When she came to, she   
blinked a few times, then sat up straight. She looked at her surroundings, and then spotted  
Harry.  
  
"Oh, hi Harry," she said sleepily. Draco could see that she had piercing blue eyes, framed by   
dark and long eyelashes.   
  
"Hi Celestia," he replied. "I've been looking all over for you!" She grinned sheepishly, and   
Draco felt his heart drop. She had a beautiful smile, it lit up the whole compartment.   
  
"Sorry, Harry. I just found an empty compartment and I... well, I fell asleep. I'm sorry."  
  
"It's ok," he replied. "Come on, I have a compartment down the other end of the train, you can  
come sit with us there." He helped her to her feet, and was just about to leave, when Draco  
called him over.  
  
"Potter, come here for a second," he said, motioning for him to come over. Harry looked over at  
Celestia.   
  
"Wait outside the door for me, ok?" She nodded and walked out. Harry turned back to Draco. "What  
is it, Malfoy?" Draco stared at him for a second.  
  
  
"Why--when--how do you know her?" he finally stumbled out. Harry looked rather surprised at this  
question.  
  
"She's my cousin," he replied. Draco gave him an exasperated look.  
  
"Very funny, we all know you've got no wizarding family. Now who is she?"   
  
"I'm serious, she's my cousin. She attended Beauxbatons up until this year."  
  
Draco's mouth dropped open in horror.  
  
"She's -- she's -- she's RELATED to you?" he said in awe. Harry was getting annoyed.  
  
"YES, now if you excuse me--"  
  
"Wait a second, Potter. THAT is YOUR cousin. But -- she's -- she's beautiful!" Harry laughed and  
waved Draco's comment away.   
  
"Listen I've got to go," he replied, turning away. Draco fumbled with his thumbs.  
  
"Listen, Potter, one more thing?" Harry stopped in the doorway again.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Don't tell her anything bad about me... please?" Harry laughing loudly this time, and turned to  
face Draco.  
  
"As if there's anything GOOD to tell her?"  
  
"I'M SERIOUS!" Draco roared.  
  
"So am I!" Harry exclaimed. And he turned and walked out. Draco faced Crabbe and Goyle, who were  
giving him searching looks.   
  
"What are you two looking at?" he snapped at them.   
  
"What going on with you? Socializing with Potter, falling in love with a girl?" Goyle replied.   
Draco shook his head.  
  
"That was NOT socializing and I am NOT in love." At those last words, his heart skipped a beat,   
and his mind shot back to her silky skin and smooth hair...her cherry lips and tinted cheeks. He  
shook away the overpowering feeling inside him, and sat down for a long ride. 


End file.
